CABL urges caution with higher education cuts

The Council for a Better Louisiana is urging policymakers “to tread very cautiously and very deliberately” when considering cuts to state colleges and universities. The nonpartisan good government group says the sheer size of the $219 million higher education cut will lead to major restructuring of the state’s higher education system. For example, shutting down LSU’s Baton Rouge campus would lead to a $233 million savings. “Of course, no one is suggesting any of this and you can create many different scenarios,” CABL’s Barry Erwin says. “But the point is this type of exercise does put some perspective on the enormity of the cut to higher education and the difficulty of arriving at $219 million in budget reductions.” To read the column, click here.